Loving Trees: Kaoru and Ganko's story
by xabie
Summary: 2nd installment of the Loving Trees series. AU. Kaoru, Ganko, an interesting correspondence. And of course, a tree. Mix them together, what do you get? A Romance story by Xabie!
1. I Prologue

Important Author's notes!

First of all, this is a semi-AU. The background to our leads is a bit confusing, so you'll have to read this carefully.

Kaoru and Ganko are the same age, for story purposes.

After Fuuko rescued Ganko from the mansion, Ganko never went with the Hokage to the UBS (based on the manga), and she has never seen Kaoru since.

For story purposes also, this story takes place in an American high school. (can someone tell me how many years there are in high school? I seriously have no clue…).

Kaoru, after joining the Hokage, never meets Ganko (for some strange obscure reason), then when he went back in time and came back again.

So, in nutshell, I've transplanted Kaoru and Ganko into an American high school, erased their memories of each other outside of the Kurei mansion, somehow, someway, brought Kaoru back from the past, and of course slightly altering their characters. 

Semi-AU much?

Number two! This is the second installation to the Loving Trees series!

Read on! My friends!

Loving Trees: Kaoru and Ganko's story

There was a particular period of her life that she remembered in amazing detail yet seemed fuzzy and unclear. 

It was time of great confusion for her; when her heart and mind was at it's weakest, perhaps because of her terribly young age but also because of the loss of her mother.

She remembered being taken in, and having lessons with a cold hard man. Sadness, aloneness, fear, confusion, longing, she remembered them all. 

But most of all she remembered a boy. Perhaps her only friend and companion during those dark times; she had seen him as her protector, her guardian angel. They were the same age but he seemed so much older.

She had been crying that day, not unlike the other days. It was routine, after all, the tears. Kurei was harsh with her, with her incompetence in controlling the madougo. And also because she was still alone, still without a mother. The mannequin with her rather inept use was still a lifeless doll.

He had come out of nowhere and put his little arms around her, a steadying presence in her whirling world. 

"It's okay. I'm here," he said. 

And that was how their friendship began. Children are simple creatures after all; an offering of sweets, a hug, a smile, an invitation to catch worms together, are all potential friendships in the making. In this case it was kindness offered unasked. 

She remembered dusty, lazy afternoons spent in glee, running around, playing hide-and-seek. They never knew each other's name.

The times they shared were too good to last. Changes came. He became a bit withdrawn; and then there was the appearance of a new handkerchief around his wrist that he seemed rather touchy about. 

It was not long after that he was sent to another department of the training facility. She never saw him again. But by that time, she had already mastered the basics of her weapon. She had her mother; she didn't need anyone else anymore. And so, the memory of her little friend slowly slipped away.

But sometimes, every so often, she would wonder what had happened to him. 

________

She had overheard once someone who said that, "Ganko could have ruled the school if it were not for that incident two years ago". And it was true. Her looks, if she had spent the same amount of time as the other girls, could have surpassed the present residing queen of her high school. And indeed, in her first year there, it looked to everyone that she would be the reigning princess of Lyotte High if all went well. 

Unfortunately however, a particular incident occurring in that same year put a stop to all that. She was like a blooming bud cut too soon for her to blossom; like an eagle whose wings were clipped. Not to say that she became horrendously ugly, but her striking features dulled, and she became just one of the many. Average, passable, tolerable but nothing spectacular.

The only time she could be considered pretty, or even above average, was when she smiled. Sadly, she rarely did so anymore, or if she were forced to, she would smile a small smile that didn't reach her eyes.

So her high profile in her first year was slowly buried and forgotten, a new princess was chosen. And she was glad.

________ 

She was stuck in the rain when the new transfer student arrived. By the time she had reached school dripping wet, soaked to the bone, the obligatory fuss over the new student had passed. Nobody bothered to fill her in on the details and truth be told she wasn't really interested because they did not share classes.

Perhaps she should have been.

________ 

AN: I told you it was an AU, so no flames please! And also, the "incident" has nothing to do with UBS or SODOM, but is another part of Ganko's past that I created (as usual for story purposes).

So what did you think? Ganko, too ooc? Tell me!


	2. II History

Loving Trees: Ganko and Kaoru's story

Sometimes she wondered what exactly was the use of school besides the cover of education and the rather more emphasized socializing. After all, after what happened that year she withdrew herself from the rest of teenage society, so the there went one of the objectives out of the window. And as for education, with so much free time on her hands she had already read and studied far beyond the standards of those of her age. 

She twirled her pen in her hands as her history teacher droned on about something she already knew, and watched it as it slowed to a stop and fell out of her fingers. Sighing and feeling utterly bored, she considered reverting to her usual pastime of observing the behaviour of those of her peers and of course ridiculing them, but decided against it. She wasn't in the mood to see them worrying themselves silly over their nails and their hair and boys. Especially boys. She could not understand how they could not realise that nothing in the world lasts forever. Everything, all the love and the happiness would be snatched away, and in the end the only thing that you were left with was hurt. But she wouldn't think about that. Had not she promised herself that she would not think about him?

Suddenly feeling bitter, angry and irritated she pulled the cap off her pen and scribbled on her table in tiny, slightly slanted words. Just then, the bell rang and she cleared away her things, all the while hoping that her teacher would see it. 

Mrs Forait did not, but someone else did.

_

He decided he liked this school. The people were friendly, the teachers were average, the classes laid-back, but best of all, nobody asked too many questions.

When he first arrived, he was slightly surprised by how quickly he was accepted. It was almost as if he had always been in the school; furthermore they_ liked_ him, or at least appeared to. He was quite flattered, even more so when he was immediately deemed part of the popular group. He was not a playboy like some of them, but he was popular enough among the girls, meaning that he had no problems getting a date if he wanted to. But there wasn't any girl he had met yet that he felt serious about. Perhaps it was just he, but he felt that the majority of the girls in Lyotte High were rather shallow, nice, but shallow.

He already knew most of the syllabus, having studied it long ago in the training facility when he was much younger, so he usually spent class staring at the teacher, or thinking about how to answer those awkward questions if they were ever asked. Thankfully, nobody did, but Kaoru felt that it was better safe than sorry.

It was that day, when he had gone through the lies that he would say in his head for the fourth consecutive time that lesson that he spotted the tiny writing on the side of the table.

_There is nothing we can learn from the past except that only the pain and misery of memory lives on._

Curious. How strange it was that there was such a bitter person in this school. He was under the impression that Lyotte High was on the whole, a happy cheery shallow, wholesome, sunny, optimistic school. He was wrong it seemed and the sentence piqued his curiosity. 

Slowly, he pushed the end of his pen and wrote below the angry sentence in his rather messy handwriting.

_

There were few things that could surprise her nowadays (her list was rather short, containing the only entry: Hearing the girls talk about something _other_ than boys.), but the next day, she was.

She had expected a few possible things in History class that day, among them was Mrs Forait finding out about the little message she left as well as an imminent earthquake, but not to see a little line added underneath her own.

Sitting down in her seat quietly as usual, she peered at the corner of the table where the words were. Her eyes quickly scanned through the line she had written and went on to read the one below it.

**So that's your take on life? Sounds rather sad. **

She blinked, and then read through it again. Was that… could it be _pity _she read in those two short sentences? Suddenly, she felt a wave of indignation wash over her. If there was anything she could not stand, it was pity. For the first time in a long time she felt an emotion other than ennui, loneliness or bitterness. She felt anger. Anger at a stranger for thinking that he or she could think that she was pitiful. She pulled her pen out and viciously wrote underneath the two sentences.

She looked at what she wrote, re-read it, and felt a surge of satisfaction. That should teach the person stupid enough to anger her, that Ganko was not a person to pity. 

The last person who pitied her had taken a pretty harsh tongue-lashing, she quietly mused to herself. Suddenly, she felt her anger dissipate and was replaced by emptiness. The old Ganko would have felt that way, be indignant about the pity. She thought that part of her had died. And in a way it was better wasn't it? At least now, she couldn't be hurt as easily as the old Ganko.

But just now… just now, that was so_ her_. Her old self had resurfaced, even if only for a short while. She didn't know whether to be worried or happy.

_

Author's notes: How was that? Ganko seems rather pessimistic eh? Ah well…

Thanks to: Nigihayami Haruko (Thanks for the review! I'm glad you like my portrayal of Ganko) 

KKRULZ ( Yes, sometimes I get annoyed by the way she's described as someone who is super beautiful so I decided to make her not. Hope this is enough Kaoru Ganko mush for you (for now). And I did enjoy my trip! Thanks for asking.)

Review!


	3. III HISTORY

He adjusted the strap of his school bag as he walked into the classroom. The students milled around, talking and gossiping like they usually did before lessons officially start. Finding his usual seat in the back, he dropped his canvas bag onto the floor and sank down into his seat. At that moment, the bell rang, sharp and shrilly; cutting through the babble of students and announced that class had begun. The students quickly scattered and rushed back to their seats.

Unfastening the clasp of his bag, he reluctantly pulled out his (empty) History notebook. He sighed, preparing for a long and boring History lecture on the First World War. 

_

Ten minutes into the lesson, he started to feel his eyelids drooping shut and his ears awash with words that he wasn't listening to. As much as he was part of the in crowd, he didn't like being overtly rude to teachers, or treat them without respect. He supposed this had something to do with the training he had with Kurei when he was so young. So he was rather desperate for a way –_any_ way- for him to at least keep up the pretense that he was listening to her in class.

His eyes dropped to the corner of the table and remembered that he had had an unfinished conversation with the mysterious somebody. Though, of the mystery person, he had known two things. One, this person was extremely bitter. And two, the person was a she. He had deduced it from the fact that her handwriting was too neat and tiny and cursive to be a guy's.

Curiously, he leaned down and read the sentence that was added below the first two lines.

_Don't attempt to humour me. As if you would know anything on life to lecture me._

The girl was obviously rather angry at what he wrote, judging by the way the table had new indentations where her full-stops were, and also by the way her script had the jagged edge of someone rather about to burst her top.

He smiled, feeling the last vestiges of sleep leave his mind. Just what he needed, he thought, something to stimulate his brain out of its state of lethargy. And indeed, he found the mysterious she rather interesting. In fact, he felt an almost pull towards the mysterious person, almost as if he had recognized a kindred spirit…

He was just about to add a response to her line, when he pulled back his pen. Defacing school property, as much as it was fun and in this case interesting, was something he tried as hard possible not to do. Not because he was a rule follower, but because if he was caught it would bring too much unwanted attention to him and in particular, his past.

The History notebook would finally have some use after all, he mused.

_

Internally, she sighed. Yet another history lesson with Mrs Foriat, she thought, feeling bored already, and the lesson hadn't even started yet. She went to her seat and sank down tiredly. It had been a long day and was unnaturally hot and humid for the time of the year; the ending of summer was usually marked by steadily declining temperatures. The rest of the class had obviously shared the same sentiments. They were like drooping flowers, slightly wilted, and limp.

The bell rang tiredly, covering the mumbling of the sloth-like students.

Mrs Foriat began her lesson.

Ganko, though she had never really liked Mrs Foriat, had always felt indifferent towards her. Yet today, her voice was grating on Ganko's nerves. They were, without a doubt, the most monotonous, the most inflectionless voice she ever had the un-luck to hear. 

She leaned against her hand, and caught sight of her jagged handwriting below her elbow. 

Underneath her own line were two words.

**Below table.**

She frowned, creating furrows in her brow.

Slid her hand unobtrusively underneath the table and felt a book. She closed her fingers over it, took it out and laid the book on the table.

On the cover, in the same handwriting as the one on the tabletop, was the big word (written in permanent marker), **History**. Curious as to why the other person had wanted her to look at it, she flipped open the cardboard cover.

The first page was remarkably empty, except for the writing scrawled across the first line of the page.

I'm not humouring you, I wouldn't dare! ^_^ And the truth is I think I do have enough experience to comment on your opinion of life. Though, as surprising as it will be for you, I know that life isn't all smiles and sunshine. Oh and by the way, I hope you don't mind using this book to further insult me, I don't think I'd like for our conversation to be available for everyone to read.

Ganko read it and re-read it to make sure she had seen what she had seen. Truth be told, she was feeling quite confused. All things considered, she had been rather mean to whoever was writing to her, and yet, here the guy (she had assumed it was a guy from the atrocious handwriting) was, _joking_ with her. Actually seeming to be _willing_ to continue to talk to her. She was quite shocked, surprised, and flattered.

 Though, not so long ago you never would have been shocked that someone wanted to talk to you, a little voice in her head piped up, in fact, it was downright natural. Everyone flocking to Ganko, pretty Ganko, popular Ganko.

The voice was taunting, slightly disdainful of her. It appeared rudely and suddenly. She squashed it.

We-ll, she thought, as her pen hovered hesitantly over the lined paper. To write or not to write… We-ell, she thought, she really didn't have much people she usually, wait, scratch that, ever talked to. And, he seemed to know a bit more on how life really is like. If his words were anything to go by. At least, he would be interesting, which was more than she could say about the rest of the people around her. She sneaked a look over at the girl sitting diagonally to the right of her colouring her nails in with a permanent marker and shuddered.

She put the tip of the pen onto the paper, and started to write.

__

tbc

AN: Thanks to all that reviewed.

Special thanks to Nigihayami Haruko : I was really inspired by your review. Thank you for being able to understand where I'm coming from with this    pessimistic!Ganko.

Special thanks also to Shiroi Jyuujika: Thank you about the comment about plots. I was feeling rather strange lately, because I found out from a rather roundabout way that someone felt that my stories were predictable.

To Vanilla Fox: Thank you for your suggestion. And yes, there is a reason for Ganko's pessimism. Though, it was on purpose that I didn't actually tell the readers. It will be revealed, only not explicitly, but through subtle and less obvious ways. I doubt, however, that I ever will make the reason completely known to the readers.

To akuweaselgirl: I'm afraid that it was never one of my priorities to make this mushy. I know I said this is a romance, however, it is not a _mushy_ romance. There is a difference. The only mush probably in this fic will be most likely at the end. And even that, I can't be too sure.


End file.
